Spalding United have been granted planning permission for a stand and dugout built last July.
The club needed the infrastructure in place at the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field to be allowed to play at a higher level after promotion at the end of the 2023/24 season.
Permission was only given by South Holland District Council’s Planning Committee last Wednesday (May 7).
It was unanimously voted through with none of the councillors stating they had any issues with the application.
But Coun Paul Barnes said: “I’m worried that the report is written in the wrong tense for a retrospective application.
“It does raise a bit of a concern we allowed a building to go up on our own land without permission.”
Planning officer Nick Atkinson, said: “Rightly or wrongly there’s nothing inappropriate about latterly applying for planning consent.
“In terms of whether or not as a land owner we should or shouldn’t have allowed it, that’s outside the remit of what we consider in planning.”
Speaking after the meeting Coun Barnes said he’d had reassurances that the lease had been signed by the football club before the stand was in place and ahead of it being announced last August.
Speaking on behalf of Spalding United as the planning agent at the meeting, Katie Wood said: “The facilities have minimal effect on the surrounding area but are vital to the success of the club going forward.”
Coun Andrew Woolf said: “Spalding United seem to be on the up and I wouldn’t want to think it was this authority this stopped them having a ground that’s fit for purpose for the standards they have achieved.
“With their success there could be an economic improvement as they progress they’ll get a larger following and that will help the town as well.”
Coun Andrew Tennant said: “The important thing is there is no negative to this.
“The changes are not noticeable for those outside.
“Perhaps Spalding will do a Wrexham and perhaps in 20 years we will looking at a ground for 20,000 on the outside of Spalding.”
